Kingdom of Romania
Romania (România), officially the Kingdom of Romania '(''Regatul României) is a country in South-Eastern Europe. It is governed by the nationalist Legionary movement. It is bordered by Galicia-Lodomeria to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, the Black Sea to the east, Bulgaria to the south and Hungary to the west. Important notice: This page contains lore relevant to the upcoming Romania rework, and it may not reflect the current in-game setup that well. The ultimate goal, to eventually fully transpose the changes made to the lore in-game, still stands. History Following the Peace of Paris, concluding the Crimean War (1853 - 1856), the unification of Moldavia and Wallachia was expressly forbidden. However, due to a quirk in the procedure, Ioan Alexandru Cuza was elected Domnitor in both principalities, thus becoming first Prince of the United Principalities (1859 - 1866), to be followed onto the throne by Karl Eitel Friedrich Zephyrinus Ludwig von Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1866 - 1914), after a coup staged by the so called "Monstrous Coalition". After the 8th Russian-Turkish War 1877/78, which saw Romania fighting alongside Russia, the country's sovereignty was recognized on the Berlin Congress of 1878. Southern Bessarabia was ceded to Russia, while Romania gained Dobrogea. In 1881 the Romanian Prince took the title of King Carol I. The orientation towards the West was secured, Russian influence lost its appeal. Carol I settled the Second Balkans War (1913) and joined Southern Dobruja (the Cadrilater) with Dobrogea. With the outbreak of the Weltkrieg in 1914 Romania initially remained neutral, but joined the Entente in 1916, after Carol's successor, Ferdinand I ascended to the throne, only to be overrun in a few months by Bulgaria and Austria. In 1918 the government was forced to sign the Treaty of Bucharest. Romania had to cede Dobruja to Bulgaria, and a border strip around the Carpathians to Austria-Hungary. While Romania was allowed to keep Bessarabia from the remnants of the Russian Revolution, the oil fields in Ploiesti were placed under a joint Romanian-German-Austrian consortium. Widespread revanchism and anger at the failure of the government to achieve the national dream, combined with an economic slump due to the failed war effort coupled with failing cereal prices and a worsening rural situation led to a widespread feeling of ennui combined with anger, eventually leading to a meteoric rise in support for previously-fringe ultranationalist parties and movements. Initially, the first among these seemed to be the LANC (Liga Apărării Național-Creștine - National-Christian Defense League), but a defector, the young and charismatic Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, started to gain more and more adepts, managing to more efficiently channel the desire for union and vengeance towards a greater desire for national rebirth, embodied within his movement: the Legion of the Archangel Michael (Legiunea Arhanghelului Mihail), also known popularly as the Legionary Movement (Mișcarea Legionară). After the death of Ferdinand in 1927, the embittered womanizing son, Carol II, rose to the throne. Compared to his father who sympathized with the long-ruling PNL (and the Brătianu family which often was leading it), he was not content with the somewhat-limited role of the monarchy within the state and dreamed of a more absolute form of monarchy, where he would be the main arbiter of the affairs of state. In the shifting political climate of the early 1930s, he saw an opportunity. The PC was dying off anyway as its support base (the great landholders) was gradually eroding, and the PNL was in flux. Any other parties were minor, and with the right sledgehammer, they could be swept aside. Initially, Carol considered supporting A.C Cuza of the LANC, but after a few reports by the SSI (popularly known as the Siguranța Statului, aka the intelligence services) concluded that the man, while intelligent, was by no means inspiring or had that relevant of a platform. Instead, he took interest in Zelea Codreanu and his legionaries, concluding that his fanatism and relative inexperience in politics at the time would make him easier to manipulate towards his whims. So, he invited the young Captain (Căpitan) to Bucharest, and offered him a deal: the Captain and his Movement would work together with the King to achieve national glory and revolutionize the country, and in exchange the King would give the Captain the keys to power and smoothen his way to the Premiership. Codreanu, overjoyed, accepted. The 1933 elections arrived, and in spite of the vigurous campaign carried out by the PNL's I.G Duca, the Legionaries pulled off a surprising victory, coming out ontop of PNL and leaving PC in the dust. While I.G Duca swore to continue the campaign against the movement from the benches of the opposition, it was not to be, for he was found shot in early January 1934. The newly-invested Prime Minister Zelea Codreanu and his Government stand prepared to restore Romania to greatness, though the road will not be easy. While the Legionary governance program started off ambitiously via the 1934 land reform, it was eventually stalled when some remnants of the landholders appealed to Carol, who forced his ambitious Prime Minister to halt it, at least temporarily. This incident, as well as the Monarch's philandering, greatly vexed Codreanu, who started to see his own country's monarch as a hamper towards his ambitions. Likewise, Carol noticed that his Prime Minister was far more hard to manipulate than he thought, as his office gave him a certain measure of safety. As 1936 dawns, Romania stands at a precipice. Externally it seems to be making a slow if relatively stable recovery, while internally the nation feels the weight of the power struggle between the King and the Captain; a struggle which may have many twists and turns and possible endings, but there are two things that both sides agree upon: national unification and self-strengthening. And the revanchard kingdom may just have the opportunities to achieve its goals sooner than later.... Politics The dominant party within the kingdom at the moment is the '''Legion of the Archangel Michael, represented in Parliament via its party front-organization. (The Legion itself operates as more of a secret society, and by necessity it is represented in the open via an eponymous political party, which it presides over.) The Captain acts as an unifying figure within the ever-growing Legion, keeping its factionalistic tendencies at bay, but this may not endure forever, as factions start to grow. The other main political force consists of Carol II and his loyalists, organized by the monarch, his private secretary, Ernest Urdărianu, and other important figures who support Carol II's quasi-absolutistic tendencies. Military With the Weltkrieg long past and Romania starting a certain recovery, the nation has started to remilitarize, though more is needed for Romania to be able to successfully challenge the Bulgarian hegemony on the Balkans. Army The army currently consists of eleven infantry divisions and two cavalry divisions. Navy The Romanian navy is very small, consisting of an outdated destroyer squadron and an equally old submarine group. Airforce Romania possesses a small and somewhat outdated airforce, but it has a large domestic aircraft industry and the capability of greatly expanding the current forces. Currently, it has a small fighter squadron, a tactical bomber group, and a naval bomber squadron. Foreign Relations Friendly relations with Greece, Serbia, and the Ottoman Empire. Unfriendly relations with Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary. Culture Primarily Romanian, with large Romanian minorities living abroad in Hungary (Transylvania) and smaller Romanian minorities living in Bulgaria (Dobrogea and small pockets around Vidin), Serbia (the Timocka krajina), and Ukraine (on the left bank of the Dniester river). The Kingdom also keeps close contact with Aromanian and Meglenitic minorities living in the Balkans, and to the Istriots to a smaller extent. See also *Weltkrieg, the war that shaped current Romanian politics Category:Countries Category:European countries Category:Belgrade Pact